He was trying to find amphibians and reptiles, when he came
across a powdered glass frog (Teratohyla
pulverata) perched on a leaf in the rainforest.

He was able to very quickly take a couple of pictures of the
frog looking directly towards him, before it disappeared back into the
undergrowth.

The striking picture has now won the student section of the
Up Close and Personal category in the British Ecological Society’s annual
photography competition, Capturing Ecology.

Alex said:

“I have been passionate about photography for a long time and it was great to see one of my photos selected for the competition. I was then even more delighted to find out that I had won the category. It was fantastic to see the frog in its natural environment but I only managed to get about two photos before it disappeared. Needless to say, it instantly became one of my favourite photos from the trip.”

The 22-year-old, who hails from near Bristol, was encouraged
to enter the competition by Lecturer in Conservation Biology Dr
Robert Puschendorf, who has been conducted research in Costa Rica
for several years.

As reward for winning the competition, Alex’s image will be
exhibited at the Society’s annual conference in Birmingham in December, and then
displayed at a free public exhibition in London, running from 21–27 January 2019.

Professor Richard Bardgett, President of the British Ecological Society, commented:

“The high standard of submissions this year made selecting winners a big challenge. Some entries captured fleeting and intimate insights into animals’ lives, which requires technical prowess and patience to achieve. We congratulate all winners and thank all the participants for their submissions.”

More information on conservation biology

We promote an international outlook, with field courses to Spain and Mexico, so that you can learn about conservation in other parts of the world.